Aahaa Chennai

The brightness beckoned. Judgement was due.                   One looked majestic, a modern LED version, bathing the surrounding darkness in a glow, that gave the flora and fauna an eerie look which made you think of horror films, making it seem  there was a kind of light as also it was not. The other had an yellowish hued, soft buttery look, making you wish you could gaze at its incomparable visaage for hours on end, its radiance difficult even for an artist with his varied palette to mimic, bathing the night spaces in an ethereal glow that transcended boundaries and walls until the moment when it suddenly  hid behind fast moving clouds, leaving you and the night creatures feeling bereft. The heavenly one got the vote.

   Hello there! Look down.          Can you see us? We are two different individuals but  you could call us friendly neighbours sharing space between the citron tree and the betel vine. We have even reached out to the plantain tree. It is fortunate we landed close to each other. We have no issues with other as you can see. Today is a bright sunny day and we are busy awaiting our meal. So long, folks!

The home with its beautifully laid out design, its many cubicles has you wondering about its occupant. Suddenly  you feel a stinging pain. You are unaware how it happened. Out of hiding, they fly high and  circle you. That's a one very disturbed  wasp  family showing their temper. You cut a lemon in half and rub briskly over the affected area to reduce the painful sensation.The arm swells and subsides in about three days or more.                   It is certainly a painstakingly crafted piece of skilled workmanship. Just one look at their home confirms this but the dreadful sting and its aftermath changes your Ooh!Wow!...into Ouch!Ouch!OUCH!

                                                                        Atop the fence,                bouquets of papery white          and pink skirted bougainvilleas                   danced a lively tango.                          Heads twirling,               the twisted petals practiced                     repetitive pirouettes.           The cohesed leaves swayed to the                    accompanying twitter of          hopping yellow-billed babblers          making the wind whisper...                     encore, encore.

The sounds are alarming. You can hear giggling in the background. The  noise continues. It's like someone is choking or one of those strange sounds you hear in films. Grandma looks irritated and  increases the TV volume. Others rush in towards the source of sound  to  find grandpa bending his head backwards. In a lil' while, his head is upright and then his head goes down and you hear a different kind noise which means you should stand at a distance. This head up, head down, is repeated many times and in a minute or so the ritual stops. He simply smiles and holds up a steel tumbler. You heave a sigh of relief. Eager little ones peer into the tumbler. They see something white and crystalline sticking to the bottom. Grandpa clears his throat and begins his lecture. Salt water gargling soothens sore throats. It should be done like this. Add crystal salt to warm water. Allow it to dissolve. Then start gargling by rolling the salty liquid  your throat. The

It took time to arrive at a choice. The mind dithered between the plastic ones, the spongy ones, the brightly advertised ones, those sporting a handle and alien like shiny scrubbers going by the name, steel wool. The clamour of vessels grew louder. They needed a wash. Oh well! I was in a hurry. Scrub, scrub! They smiled proudly, looking sparkling clean. The many pieces of coconut pith lying discarded nearby smiled benignly. They had reason to do so. Just a matter of regaining  lost glory in the kitchen.🌞

Little by little they trooped in. No one saw them enter.  Construction began. Tunnels emerged.  Innovative mud trails, running all the way up and down. The silent brown victim stood  steady, his twisted, weatherbeaten body unaware of the dangers looming ahead. Up and down, marched the line of teeny-weeny beasts, hungry as ever for their share of f(w)ood. Scurrying out of nooks and crevices, the announcement was clear. Deep from below...we, the terrible termites have arrived.

                 The pink rosebud opens.                          Sepals flip.                          A soft smile                            splices                        tip to bottom.

I am falling. Almost gone. When I think my journey is over, someone out there seems to think otherwise. That someone keeps insisting... lean on me. And I did just that and now I feel rejuvenated. Eager hands have even created a clinging bond with a piece of cloth. Months later, you can see the new me with fresh sprouts of living green. That's right. I am your hardy neem tree longing for a bit of extra attention.

Surrounded by a plastic crazy world, wooed by an overwhelming deluge of attractive shapes,  sizes and colours, amidst eye catching models, nestles an old, once shiny, steel box/dubba. Memories float past... of little hands often grabbing it, holding  up the shiny surface to admire the reflected eager faces with tongues hanging out, sporting cheeky grins.

The first letter tells you that the road ahead will be akin to its twists and turns but ultimately you will emerge out from the struggle and breathe easy. The second letter hints that the climb is hard and steep but sliding down is also easy. So beware! The third letter has a message for entrepreneurs. Know the intricacies of your subject and you are a sure winner. Unseen melodies of a language!

Pssst... Lift up your heads from those books and look at me.  Are you looking? A faint hearted one may stagger under  weight of  so many  different sized fruits, getting bigger by the day  but I am certainly carrying on.  I suppose you could say that it is almost an exam for me,  to test if I or rather my slender trunk can bear the weight.  One day these green hued bulky giants will drop down or  be plucked and then, trust me,  I too, will be free  without a care ...(that is, until the next season!!).

Placed in a nondescript corner, the long curved leaves hardly garnering any attention, it carried on its unassuming existence for many many months, when suddenly, the appearance  of a green clump at the end of a droopy stalk, which from a distance resembled a snake entwined, its head peeking out,  drew forth a curious crowd. Gingerly moving close,  the spell was broken, as news spread that the ever  reticent Brahma Kamalam plant had put forth a bud, nothing like ever seen before, drawing anxious eyes every morning, noting its increase in size, heads shaking at its refusal to reveal glimpses of its underlying white treasure. The secret was laid  bare on a full moon night, with the moon sending its rays to awaken the secretive guest in the garden, well past the witching hour, while we watched with bleary eyes as the spectacle unfolded. Tender unblemished petals arranged in perfect whorls,  their peerless white hue in perfect contrast to the surrounding darkness, their beau